She says. “I’d like us to attend a retreat for couples.”

He says. “I spend enough time at church on Sunday.”

Upon reading this question, my thoughts returned to a conversation that my dear husband and I had years ago when we (basically) said the same thing. We could have submitted this question! Why? Because we didn’t know what would happen at a couple’s retreat and we were not willing to pay money to attend something we didn’t understand or value. Thanks be to God that someone told us why a retreat experience is beneficial. I am grateful to pass on what I know.

The main focus of a couple’s retreat is to strengthen you as a couple. This is accomplished by giving you and your beloved lots of time to reconnect, without distractions or interruptions. (Remember what it was like when you were dating? It’s like that — only better!)

Most retreats include short presentations by other married couples that help deepen your understanding of one another. In general, these brief talks help you rekindle your shared values and life purpose. (This is your chance to infuse hope and charity into your marriage.)

Couple’s retreats also offer tips and techniques that can be used to address the inevitable conflicts that happen in every marriage. In other words, you will be given a chance to communicate more effectively. (What couple doesn’t want that?)

Finally, a solid retreat includes meaningful moments where the two of you get to pray together with God. This is your chance to learn how to express gratitude or petitions or forgiveness or praise as one body in Christ. (What God brings together, let no one put asunder!)

Here is a message from Pope Francis that comes from the 2016 letter entitled The Joy of Love: “… love needs to keep dancing towards the future with immense hope. Hope… makes it possible to look beyond arguments, conflicts and problems and to see in a broader perspective. … the best way to prepare for a solid future is to live well in the present.”

Enrich and deepen your love for one another with a couple’s retreat. To learn more about marriage retreats happening in and around the Diocese of La Crosse, go to www.diolc.org/marriage-enrichment/.